Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: Which flagship is better?
Confused between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro? Here’s a direct comparison between the two to help you decide.
Pixel 8 Pro is one of the best Android phones in the market, packing Google’s latest Tensor G3 chip and a particularly bright display. The Pixel can rival the iPhone 15 Pro Max with its incredible cameras and an array of AI features.
It becomes even more impressive when you throw the intuitive software experience into the mix. But should you pick the Pixel 8 Pro over the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra?
Galaxy S24 Ultra was made official earlier this year in January. It sets the bar high with its extra bright display, titanium frame, and 200MP camera. Samsung even matches Google’s 7-year update policy.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: Price
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra by a minimum of $499 for the base models of each handset.
Samsung increased the price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra by $100. It starts at $1,299 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage option. If you want the 512GB storage model, you’ll pay $1,419. The top-of-the-line 1TB model costs a whopping $1,659.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 Pro starts at $799 for the 128GB model in the US. It goes up to $859 for 256GB, $979 for 512GB, and a big $1,199 for the fully loaded 1TB version. Even the Pixel 8 Pro’s most expensive model is $100 cheaper than the base Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: Design & display
SamsungPhysically, the Pixel 8 Pro looks almost identical to its predecessors. Instead of coming up with a new design every year, Google has decided to keep refining the iconic design it introduced with the Pixel 6 series.
The phone gets the same big camera bar across the back. However, there are some changes. For one, the rear glass panel is now frosted and the phone has more rounded corners. Its frame is made in part from recycled aluminum, and is IP68 rated for water resistance.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn’t look all that different from previous Ultras either. But it one-ups the Pixel with its Titanium frame, something we also saw on the Apple iPhone 15 Pro lineup.
The Samsung flagship brings a nearly identical design to the Galaxy S23 Ultra but with a flat-screen and back. The main differences are in the build quality, where a Titanium casing replaces the Armor Aluminum from the S23 series.
Google went all in on the display department, equipping the Pixel 8 Pro with a glorious 6.7-inch LTPO Super Actua Display (it’s OLED, but Google decided to go with a fancier name) that refreshes at 120Hz. The panel can get as bright as 2400 nits and supports HDR content.
Samsung isn’t resting on its laurels either. The S24 Ultra brings a 6.8-inch LTPO AMOLED with 2,600 nits brightness. It has a 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: Camera
Both Samsung and Google phones are known for snapping top-notch pictures no matter the conditions. The Pixel 8 Pro is Google’s best camera smartphone to date, featuring a 50MP (phase-detect autofocus) wide shooter with OIS, a new 48MP ultrawide, and a 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom and up to 30X Super-Res digital zoom.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the contrary, also brings a solid camera setup. The main camera on the device uses the same 200MP sensor as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but it features a new 50MP periscope camera with 5x optical zoom and a 0.7μm pixel size. There’s a 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP optical shooter, identical to those found on the S23 Ultra.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: Specifications
| | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Google Pixel 8 Pro |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) | Google Tensor G3 (4 nm) |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5X (max) | 12GB LPDDR5 (max) |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 5050mAh |
| Charging | 45W | 30W |
| Display | 6.8-inch AMOLED | 6.7-inch OLED |
| Cameras | 200+12+50+10, 12MP front. Quad camera with 10x optical zoom | 50+ 48+ 48, 10.5MP front. Triple camera system with 5x optical zoom. |
| Price | Starting at $1,299 | Starting at $799 |
The Pixel 8 Pro is offered with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options, all with 12GB of RAM. The Galaxy S24 Ultra lacks the 128GB storage trim but features up to 12GB of RAM. The Samsung phone also brings a stylus to let you draw and take notes on the go.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra supports 45W charging, which is advertised to charge the phone to 65% in 30 minutes, while the Pixel 8 Pro offers 30W charging, which is supposed to juice the phone to 50% in 30 minutes.
Samsung has also promised to support its phones for 7 years with Android updates, just like the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: Performance
Pixel 8 Pro debuts with Google’s homemade Tensor G3, and while we hate to say it, its performance is underwhelming. The search giant wants to go the Apple route with its Tensor chips but so far it’s nowhere close to what the iPhone maker’s A-series chips have achieved.
To give you a better idea, Pixel 8 Pro gets a single-core score of 1,760, and a multi-core score of 4,442 in Geekbench 6. If you take the competition into account, the scores are barely at par with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which gets 1707 points in single-core and 4892 points in the multi-core test of Geekbench 6.
SamsungThe Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which powers the Galaxy S24 Ultra, blows the Tensor G3 out of the water in terms of performance. In Geekbench’s multi-core test, the Qualcomm chip posted 7,501 points, which is even better than Apple’s A17 Pro (7,237 points).
Google says Pixel is not about “speeds and feeds” but rather about “pushing the mobile computing experience forward.” You might notice the phone is not too bad for general usage.
The key takeaway here is: Pick the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra if you prioritize top-notch performance while gaming and performing demanding tasks. It’s not that the Pixel 8 Pro won’t handle these tasks, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra will do them more efficiently.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: Battery life
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra packs a 5,000mAh battery, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a 5,050mAh unit. You’d expect the Pixel 8 Pro to offer better battery life considering it has a larger battery, but you’d be wrong.
In tests conducted by Tom’s Guide, the S24 Ultra managed to offer a screen time of 16 hours and 45 minutes, while the Pixel 8 Pro gave up at 10 hours and 3 minutes.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: AI features
GoogleSamsung has leveled the playing field with Google in terms of AI features. The Pixel 8 Pro introduces loads of AI-powered features, including Magic Eraser, Magic Audio Editor, Call Screening, and Best Take. There’s also a recorder app that adds generative AI summaries to your transcripts.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra now features most of these features and adds some exclusives as well. For one, the Circle to Search feature lets you long-press the home button, circle, highlight, or tap anything in an app to Google search it. You don’t even need to leave the current app.
It also gets features like Live Translate, Transcript Assist, and Chat Assist for real-time, multi-lingual conversations.
Which flagship is better?
Google is making huge progress with its Pixel phones, and the Pixel 8 Pro is certainly an improvement over its predecessors. But the Galaxy S24 Ultra has the edge. It brings a faster processor, better cameras, and a brighter display.
Yes, there’s a significant price difference, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra starts with 256GB of storage, while the Pixel 8 Pro’s base model has 128GB of storage.
If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.